The Tomahui Peoples
Created by /u/Potato_the_Conqueror GEOGRAPHY The internal part of the island is very flat and mainly prairies, but certain areas are slightly forested, especially in the south. The climate is fairly warm and some areas resemble savannahs. BIOLOGY/ETHNICITY The Tomahui resemble humans anatomically. They have skin varying from light orange to red with stripes of a slightly darker color, resembling tiger stripes. Their faces are hawklike(not like hawk faces but in the way you'd describe a human face as hawklike). They wear their predominantly black hair long and in braids or pony tails. Some also have antlers, that aren't very long but usually poke out of their hair a slight bit. Eye colors range from yellow to brown to pitch black. Racial Quirk - The Tomahui all have a distinct connection to nature, and each has an animal spirit with which they can interact. When in severe distress or danger(or whenever the adrenaline is pumping) they can channel these spirit animals, making the spirit animals manifest as energy on the physical plane and help their mortal companion. (essentially energy in the form of the animal that runs around for a while burning through whatever threat is there). The power of the spirit animals vary extremely with most being able to minimally affect others, giving burn wounds, while some few have such power they can melt anything in their path, although that type is extremely rare, showing up perhaps once a generation at most. The average spirit animal can't do much more than give someone blisters. HISTORY Since the dawn of time the Tomahui have lived in the heartlands of Tomaha, with few ever venturing to the shores. Early on the Tomahui people domesticated many animals, such as the caxatla, the beasts they ride into battle, which resemble a mix between a large cat and a horse, with shimmering bluish fur, that looks a different color depending on the angle of the light. The males have a mane of feathers. They have also domesticated many other animals, some resembling goats and some resembling cattle. They live from what their livestock produces and what they can gather from the land. A clan(usually 30-60 people) travels around and settles in certain locations for a month and then moves on to the next spot. In history occasionally multiple tribes have grouped together in order to protect themselves against the Bahtari(see more below) or to raid against the Bahtari, but usually they only travel in their clans. In the recent past many clans have aligned with the great chief Nanuq, who is rumored to have one of the most powerful animal spirits ever seen. He has brought them together in the promise to demolish the Bahtari and then spill over the edges of Tomaha and conquer the entire world. Currently he is attempting to defeat all opposing clans, and most definitely has the upper hand. The opposing clans are fleeing from his army to avoid being completely annihilated. SOCIETY The Tomahui Society is nomadic, usually staying in one place for a month or two before moving on. Due to these conditions it is hard to live in too large groups and more people share responsibility, leading to more equal gender roles. Clan leadership is inherited, usually by one of the sons of the former clan chief, but it isn't really well-defined so anyone can ascend if enough members of the clan support them. The Tomahui would likely be considered primitive by most nations in the world, as they fight with steel spears and bows and arrows, and have never heard of or used firearms. CULTURE The Tomahui have an animist religion. They worship the spirits of nature and animals. They seek balance, which is a large part of their beliefs, meaning that the cycle of life and death must be kept in place, so when the cycle is broken, too much has been killed or life is outgrowing death, it must be corrected, by performing various rituals to recreate the balance that keeps the spirits in check. There are shamans who are dedicated to reading into the spirits and performing the required rituals, who are highly admired. The Tomahui regularly change from trading with the Bahtari and raiding the Bahtari lands and are quite a warlike people, with many clan feuds erupting when two clans travel too closely. OCCURRENCE OF MAGIC Magic users are revered in Tomahui society and sent to train with Shamans to become Shamans themselves. Magic users are supposed to become Shamans so that nearly all are, but not all Shamans are Magic users. The Shamans are not supposed to fight battles, as they are supposed to be disconnected in spirit from the mortal plane and only concern themselves with the spiritual balance of nature. MAJOR EXPORTS/IMPORTS The Tomahui mainly have products gained from their livestock to trade with and occasionally whatever valuable items they find or obtained in a raid. Oftentimes clans are hired to escort Bahtari traders from town to town. = POSTS Tomahui and Bahtari Battle of Dún Isi Colonial Wars